A significant trial has commenced in California, where the largest social media companies are facing accusations of developing “addiction machines.” This legal proceeding is examining the mental health impacts of platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
During his opening statement to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn B Kuhl and the jury, attorney Mark Lanier contended that his client, referred to as “KGM,” experienced mental health problems due to social media addiction. Lanier asserted that these companies deliberately created systems designed to addict children’s brains.
Lawyers representing Meta and YouTube countered, arguing that KGM’s addiction stemmed from other personal challenges, not from any negligence on their part.
KGM is identified by her initials, or as Kaley GM, because the alleged harm occurred when she was a minor.
Lanier further alleged that Meta and YouTube failed to adequately warn young users about the inherent dangers posed by their platforms’ design. To emphasize his points, Lanier used children’s blocks displaying the words “Addicting,” “Brains,” and “Children.”
Lanier stated, “This case is about two of the richest corporations in history who have engineered addiction in children’s brains.” He promised to present evidence of the “addiction machine” they built, including internal documents and emails from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and YouTube executives.
A 2015 email presented by Lanier showed Zuckerberg demanding a “12% increase” in time spent on Meta platforms to achieve business objectives.
Regarding YouTube, Lanier claimed that the Google-owned platform intentionally targeted young users to “charge advertisers more” compared to its YouTube Kids platform. He also accused YouTube of exploiting busy parents seeking a “digital babysitting service.”
In Meta’s opening statement, attorney Paul Schmidt directed the jury to consider whether Instagram was a significant contributor to KGM’s mental health issues. Schmidt depicted KGM as someone who had faced family difficulties, including neglect, physical and verbal abuse, and parental bullying.
Schmidt expressed admiration for KGM’s efforts to overcome her struggles. He cited records detailing domestic violence in KGM’s family history and her attendance at therapy sessions from the age of three.
Using a projector, Schmidt displayed KGM’s statements about her home life, including claims that her mother had screamed at her, called her stupid, and made her contemplate suicide. Schmidt acknowledged these were “tough quotes” but stressed their relevance in a case concerning psychological distress.
Monday’s proceedings marked the beginning of what is expected to be a six-week trial. Its outcome holds significant implications for numerous similar lawsuits across the country that are anticipated to go to trial this year.
The Los Angeles trial will scrutinize legal arguments from families asserting that their children suffered due to social media use, while the platforms deny liability for how individuals use their services.
Over the coming weeks, testimony is expected from experts, as well as from Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. Former Meta employees who became whistleblowers on the issue of social media addiction among children are also slated to testify.
The trial’s verdict could establish a benchmark for monetary damages, potentially affecting thousands of cases brought by other plaintiffs, their families, state prosecutors, and school districts throughout the United States.
In a related development, 29 state Attorneys General recently urged a California federal judge to mandate significant alterations or disabling of certain aspects of Meta’s business and platforms.
A Monday filing from these state attorneys collectively sought an injunction to compel Meta to remove all accounts known to belong to users under 13, delete all data collected through Facebook and Instagram from users under 13, and eliminate algorithms and generative AI tools utilizing such data.
Additionally, a group of 18 state attorneys pursuing state-specific consumer protection claims against Meta requested that the court force the company to implement time restrictions for young users (prohibiting school-time and night-time use), deactivate “addictive” design features like infinite scroll and autoplay, and disable filters that enhance photos or perceptions of beauty.
Over the past two years, Meta has introduced features for “teen accounts” on Instagram, including content filtering for users under 16. However, the state attorneys argued in their filing that these efforts were merely “a public relations measure offering minimal real protections for teen users on the platforms.”
The Los Angeles proceedings on Monday were observed by approximately one hundred people in the gallery, including parents who believe their children died as a result of the companies’ design choices regarding algorithms, notifications, and other features.
The companies maintain that federal law protects them from responsibility for content posted by third parties.
Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, and TikTok previously settled with KGM last month and are no longer defendants in this particular case.
